Vehicle lock

ABSTRACT

An anti-theft lock for association with a vehicle part (e.g., trunk, or hood) or system (e.g., fuel line, or hydraulic brake) has a passage which permits normal operation except when closed after manual operation of a push-button lock. To prevent long term bleed down, advantageous means are provided so that it is the thief himself who sets the brakes, closes off the gas line, or whatever.

[ Nov. 13, 1973 United States Patent [191 Coleman 2,585,711 Whitney et al. 137/598 X VEHICLE LOCK [76] Inventor:

[22] Filed:

James A. Coleman, Cleveland, Ohio Jan. 8, 1973 Primary Examiner-Henry T. Klinksiek AttorneyRichard MacCutcheon 21 Appl. No.: 321,703

Related U.S. Application Data Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 175,108, Aug. 26,

ABSTRACT 1971, abandoned.

An anti-theft lock for association with a vehicle part (e.g., trunk,-or'hood).or system (e.g., fuel line, or hydraulic brake) has a passage which permits normal operation except when closed after manual operation of a push-button lock. To prevent long term bleed down, advantageous means are provided so that it is the thief himself who sets the brakes, closes off the gas line, or whatever.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,372,062 3/1921 Carruth............................ 137/384.6 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patented No v. 13;, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Nov. 13, 1973 3,771,547

2 Sheets-Sheet Fly. 4

VEHICLE LOCK CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending Application Ser. No. 175,108, filed Aug. 26, 1971 now abandoned, for Vehicle Brake Lock.

BACKGROUND The present invention relates to locking devices for vehicles.

Vehicle theft is an increasing problem because of easy access to master keys, because of wax or even match smoke impressions made upon key blanks and from locks, and because even a sharp blow with a hammer can render a coincidental (e.g., ignition and steering) lock ineffective. Further, complex electrical systems can be readily jumpered, since modern US. car engines are open at the bottom. It has been suggested previously that hydraulic brake systems should be lockable. See, for example, US. Pat. Nos. 3,468,586; 3,515,442; and 3,559,755.

Still, the past art has not met all of many desiderata, among which are:

a. small surface contact between relatively moving parts in an often hostile hydraulic environment (to prevent freezing),

b. no electrical to hydraulic system interface (thus to comply with Insurance Underwriters prohibitions),

c. minimization of bleed-down of a locked system (since bleed-down will not only render pressure ineffective but will ruin asbestos base brake linings),

d. ease of authorized operators initiation of locking, even without a key,

e. minimization, and/or ease, of adjustment, inspection and maintenance.

An object of the present invention is to provide sim ple and inexpensive means for meeting all of the desired objectives.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Other objects and advantages will become apparent and the invention may be better understood from consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

. FIG. 1 is a partly in cross-section view showing a locking device according to the invention and in the locked, or closed, position,

FIG. 2 is a similar view but showing the unlocked (or normal car operating) position, except as exploded at the top,

FIG. 3 is a top view detail on the Line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification,

FIG. 5 is a detail which is a side view of the FIG. 4 washer 24A and its dependents 25, 43, 40, 44.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the drawings, a fitting may be thought of as IN" thus, for'example, associated with tubing means leading from a conventional brake master cylinder (not shown), while a fitting 11 maybe thought of as OUT and associated with tubing leading to wheel cylinders (not shown). 1

I For FIGS. 1 and 2, a small (e.g., 3 inches X 2 inches X 3/4 inch) machined metal block 12 is provided with mounting holes 13, and with a normal or main passage 14, and is also provided with a by-pass, or lock-up, circuit passage 15.

For normal brake operation, pressure fluid flows from the master cylinder through 10 and, as shown in FIG. 2, straight through the maincircuit 14, to 11, and thus to the wheel cylinders. j v i For lock-up condition, however, the main circuit flow is, as in FIG. 1, intercepted by plunger 16. At this time, pressure fluid can pass in one direction through the by-pass circuit 15. The circuit 15 contains a oneway check valve 39, which can be of the spring and ball or spring and disc type. Valve 39 serves to permit pressure flow from 15 to 11, while preventing reverse flow.

Manual, that is, non-electrical, operation is assured by having plunger 16 respond to movement of a pushpull cable 17 which is biased in one direction by manual push upon a push button lock 20 and which is biased to move in the opposite direction by a spring 18 but only when there is a turning of lock by lock-key 19 to cause the release.

While other arrangements could be used, good results have been obtained when lock 20 is slidable in a lock cylinder 21 screwable in a lock collar'22, which, in turn, is threadably engageable with a spring holder barrel 23 which holds a spider 24. Spider 24 supports four separated) spider arms, two of which (258) are solidly engaged by the relatively stationary lock cylinder 21.

Arms 258 thus hold the spider stationary. The spider 24 in turn holds the remaining two arms, which are hook arms 25H, in a relatively stationary manner except that they are spring hook arms and have their tops so twisted as to provide a distortable oblong opening, major dimension sides of which form a hook means as part shown by FIG. 3 and as later more fully explained.

Relatively moving parts comprise push-button lock 20, a cotter coupler 20C, a locking yoke 26, and a metal rod or tube having a cross-section originally round, as at 27R in FIG. 2, but having a top part 271 flattened to a rectangular cross section preferably having a width to thickness ratio of greater than 2 to 1.

Piece 27R is free to slide downward through stationary spider 24, but piece 27T 27R then acts through a pin ISP to compress the spring 18. Simultaneously, two small wedges 28 first force open, and then release to close, the minor dimension of the oblong opening of the clamp formed by the twisted tops of spring arms 25H. Thus the push-button 20, hence cable 17, and piston 16, can not go back up until such time as the key 19 is inserted and caused to turn lock 20 and thus yoke 26 and rod portion 27T about 90, so that the major width dimension of 27T opens up the oblong of the hook means 25H, and thus permit escape (through the then distorted oblong opening) of the wedges 28, due

to upward force of spring 18.

To add difficulty to any attempted sawing by a thief, the relatively movable push cable 17 can have a first layer of relatively stationary armor 29, and a second the small block for the hydraulic circuits, machine bores can be readily plugged as by metallic seals 35.

Referring next to FIG. 4, there is an inlet port A and an outlet port 11A. For FIG. 4 (and for FIGS. 1 and 2 also) inlet pressure could be caused by atmospheric pressure on gasoline in gas tank (but only when a vacuum is created as by a fuel pump at the outlet 11, or 11A), or it could come from a foot pedal operation.

In FIG. 4, the perimeter of the cross-section of block 12A could be hexagonal, or could be round, or square, and its inner bore could be of any shape, but a round bore in block 12 will be presumed and this bore terminates in an angeled valve seat 12V which is near to but just below the inlet 10A. A needle valve 16A is honed to fit the valve seat. When the valve 16A is in upward position, a single passage 14 is provided from inlet to to outlet. Sometimes this single passage functions as a neverclosed passage or main passage; however, at other times it can function as a one-way by-pass from outlet to inlet, it all depends on easy to make (screw thread) adjustments, the pressure difference between outlet and inlet, the bias provided by the push-button, and the consequent bias or, alternatively, relaxation provided by a compression spring 18A.

Like parts are like numbered in FIG. 4 as in FIGS. 1 and 2, and in FIG. 4 there is again a key 19, pushbutton 20, lock cylinder 21, lock collar 22, and a spring holder barrel 23. But there are advantages of the FIG. 4 arrangement over that of FIG. 1. For one thing, FIG. 4 requires no check valve as a separate part, and this makes the FIG. 4 design both simpler and more pressure-resistant than that of FIG. 1. Considering brake systems by way of example, all of the illustrated designs are workable for the brake systems of most cars, but a minority of cars have power-assisted disc brakes for which the forward, or initial, pressure is more than 500 psi, while the backward, or residual, pressure is nearly 300 psi, which pressures can be too high for any internal spring in a check valve of the type contemplated for the FIG. 1 arrangement.

Further, in the arrangement of FIGS. 1 and 2, I8 is a spring which can cause movement only upwardly, while in FIG. 4, 18A is a spring which can press some parts upwardly and other parts, including the main plunger, downwardly.

In FIG. 4 there is a relatively stationary washer 24A which has secured thereto the four legs of two downwardly depending U-shape stanchions 25, 25. As seen in FIG. 5, there may be wrapped around each stanchion cross-bar about 1% turns of two spring or music wire pieces which inwardly and upwardly form two inverted- U-clamps 40, while opposite ends of the pieces extend outward and upwardly and have bowed portions 43, 44 which produce inward pressure on the Us 40 when the bows are restricted inward by (during assembly) contact with the bore of the spring holder barrel 23.

A rod or tube 28A is fastened for movement with key-lock and has an arrow or wedge shape portion which forces each U-clamp 40 away from its counterpart, and forces a rod extension 288 downwardly, until the wedge clears the clamps so that the resilient Us spring in (and rod 28A, 288 then can not be raised until there is a release, as by a 90 turn of the relatively flat arrow head by use of the lock key 19 for unlocking). As shown, the needle valve 16A is provided with an o-ring 45 for sealing the bore of the cylinder 12A above the inlet port 10A, and thus above the outlet port also.

SUMMARY OF OPERATION There is thus provided a device of the character described capable of meeting the intended objects. Though there is a Federal standard for hydraulic brake fluid, the latter leaves a sticky and corrosive residue when exposed to air, but according to the present invention plunger (or o-ring) to bore surface contact is minimal and is always substantially bathed in the hydraulic fluid.

Key 19 can be of non-automotive type, thus to overcome the problem of bootleg master keys. Should owner have car trouble in a high risk area, he can initiate locking even without a key and phone family or mechanic for help in unlocking. Nevertheless, pressure bleed-down is minimized since actual locking can wait until a parking attendant or thief has made his first stop, or start-up, or whatever.

The various embodiments operate similarly, except if there is no hydraulic system to be rendered inoperative, then only mechanical forces are involved, and no hydraulic ones.

For all embodiments, for the key-lock unlocked condition it is proposed that there be a free back or forth action through the device.

For the key-lock locked condition, it is proposed that If IN psi is .GREATER THAN. OUT psi there will only be one, initial, through the device action. For the FIG. 4 arrangement, wheel cylinders might thereafter leak some fluid back to master cylinder but the design is easily tailored so that this is just enough to pull down plunger 16A and seal both ports and nowhere near enough to release the brakes, and thereafter the wheel cylinders do not bleed except over such a long period of time that it can be disregarded in this context. In another context, that for a fuel line, If IN psi is .GREATER THAN. OUT psi, there can be an initial flow of gas to engine but soon the fuel pump can not create more vacuum without pulling down the piston, at least for the FIG. 4 arrangement, and thus, according to tailoring of spring pressure, stroke, and other elements of the design, any balance of pressures as between IN and OUT becomes immaterial.

While I have illustrated and described particular embodiments, such has ones having threaded fits for ease of making stroke adjustments during installation, various modification may of course be made without departing from the true sprit and scope of the invention which I intend to have defined only by the appended claims taken with all reasonable equivalents.

I claim:

1. In an anti-theft locking device for automotive applications,

a lock of the push-to-lock, key-turn-to-unlock type,

a pair of spring material hook arms having portions secured to be stationary with stationary portions of the lock and having other portions forming hooks adapted to be sprung apart,

- a rod or tube means connected to linearly move and circumferentially turn with a relatively movable portion of the lock,

a wedge means associated for movement with the rod or tube and configured and arranged so that the push-to-lock function of the lock (e.g., key-hole at 12 oclock) causes the wedge to (l force the hook arms apart, (2) thereafter be restrained by the hook arms as they snap inwardly with such restraint and an outlet port and fluid pressure passage means therebetween while the piston of the combination is associated for movement with the rod and wedge for selectively closing and opening said passage means in the cylinder, and

a check means which prevents total but permits some communication between inlet and outlet for a key lock locked time, whereby to prevent long term bleed-down while preventing substantial movement of the vehicle in city traffic. 

1. In an anti-theft locking device for automotive applications, a lock of the push-to-lock, key-turn-to-unlock type, a pair of spring material hook arms having portions secured to be stationary with stationary portions of the lock and having other portions forming hooks adapted to be sprung apart, a rod or tube means connected to linearly move and circumferentially turn with a relatively movable portion of the lock, a wedge means associated for movement with the rod or tube and configured and arranged so that the push-to-lock function of the lock (e.g., key-hole at 12 o''clock) causes the wedge to (1) force the hook arms apart, (2) thereafter be restrained by the hook arms as they snap inwardly with such restraint of the wedge continuing until such time as there is a key-to-unlock function (e.g., key-hole at 3 o''clock, just before return to 12 o''clock for key removal), and a spring means for forcing the wedge to clear itself from the hooks for the key-to-unlock function.
 2. The combination of claim 1 further characterized by, a customary o.e.m. fluid pressure system for the vehicle, an added piston-cylinder combination the cylinder of which is relatively stationary and has an inlet port and an outlet port and fluid pressure passage means therebetween while the piston of the combination is associated for movement with the rod and wedge for selectively closing and opening said passage means in the cylinder, and a check means which prevents total but permits some communication between inlet and outlet for a key lock locked time, whereby to prevent long term bleed-down while preventing substantial movement of the vehicle in city traffic. 